Jersey City Resident Diana Angelo Named Class of 2014 Hudson County Community College Valedictorian

The Jersey City resident is one of more than 925
students who will graduate at the
College’s 36th Annual Commencement
Ceremonies on May 22nd.

May 19, 2014, Jersey City, NJ – Hudson County Community College (HCCC) President
Dr. Glen Gabert announced that Diana Angelo, a resident of Jersey City, has
been chosen as Valedictorian for the College’s Class of 2014.

Ms. Angelo, and more than 925 of her fellow graduates, will walk across
the stage at the HCCC Commencement ceremonies on Thursday evening, May 22nd.
The event, which is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m., is being held in
Prudential Hall at New Jersey Performing Art Center in Newark, NJ.

Dr. Gabert said that Ms.
Angelo, a native of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is a Liberal Arts major with a
3.941 grade-point average, and a member of the College’s chapter of the Phi
Theta Kappa honor society. In addition to her studies at Hudson County
Community College she served as secretary of the Student Council, was a writer
for the College’s student newspaper, and volunteered for the Hoboken Shelter.
She was awarded an Honors Scholar, the Honors Student Council Club Award, and
the regional and international Phi Theta Kappa Honors in Action Award.

Ms. Angelo states she is
thankful for the diversity the College and the robust Jersey City environment
offer her, and that during her time at HCCC she has developed and learned about
herself. She says she is honored to be recognized for her hard work, and that
she hopes to share her passion for U.S. history and immigration with others
after she leaves HCCC. Diana plans to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal
Arts after graduation.

For Evelyn Garcia the road to
her May 22nd graduation has been thirteen years in the making. Born
in Hoboken and raised in Jersey City, Ms. Garcia actually has a long history
with HCCC; she began working as a temp in 1999 and went on to work full time before
leaving in 2008. The past several years have brought dozens of changes and
challenges to her life: she gave birth to two of her three children, battled
ulcerative colitis, was hospitalized several occasions, spent time on welfare,
and virtually homeless. Ms. Garcia’s love of education, and desire to attain
her degree, overpowered any obstacles she and her family faced.

Many members of the Class of
2014 are role models for their children, family, friends and others. One such
person is Carmen Rodriguez. The lifelong Jersey City resident was determined to
earn her degree in order to show her son that you can change your life and make
things better, no matter what your age or circumstances. Despite the fact that
she was working full-time, caring for her son and granddaughter, and was a bit
older than her classmates, Ms. Rodriguez was determined to be a role model for
her son. That's exactly what she did, even being named to the Dean’s List. Ms.
Rodriguez wants everyone to know that they should never stop learning, and that
they should always strive to accomplish their dreams one at a time.

Jersey City native Jacqueline
Withers is the first person in her immediate family to attend college. After
graduating high school, she decided to postpone college for a time, and worked
for Verizon. While working in Manhattan Ms. Withers began taking classes at
Nyack College. However, the trauma of 9/11 plunged her into deep depression,
and while battling injuries, she halted her studies for a time. Opting to
return to college, Ms. Withers entered HCCC. In addition to her studies, Ms.
Withers worked full time and cared for her mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s
disease. Ms. Wither is an active member of Phi Theta Kappa, has been on the
Dean’s List twice, and will attend St. Peter’s University next fall.

“We are very proud of all of
our graduates, several of whom have overcome many obstacles to make their
academic dreams realities,” said HCCC President Dr. Glen Gabert. “We
congratulate our graduates, and everyone who assisted them in their
achievements and wish them happiness and success!”

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NOTE TO EDITORS: A limited
number of press passes and parking vouchers for the
HCCC Commencement Ceremonies are available and may be secured by contacting the
College’s Communications Office at 201-360-4060. Reporters and members of the media covering
the event may interview the College’s
distinguished guests in the VIP Room from
5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. that evening.

Important
Note to Media: NJPAC regulations allow members of the media
to film a maximum of
30 (thirty) minutes of video footage from proceedings in
the auditorium,
and to air just 3 (three) minutes of that footage.